Method for minimizing facial senescence



NOV. 25, 1952 BROWN 2,619,084

METHOD FOR MINIMIZING FACIAL SENESCENCE Filed Dec. 11, 1948 Patented Nov. 25, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD FOR MINIMIZING FACIAL SENESCENCE Adolph M. Brown, Chicago, 111.

Application December 11, 1948., Serial No. 64,818

This invention relates to a method for obliterating or minimizing facial senescence without resorting to surgical treatment. More particularly, it relates to a method for drawing the skin taut over the face to eliminate wrinkles, bags, and folds which are evidences of or give the appearance of age.

Wrinkles, bags, and folds form on the human face because of the presence of excess skin. These excesses apparently result from a lessening in the area of the cranium while the area of the skin covering the face does not decrease but may, in fact, increase in area as an incidence with time. For example, the vertical dimension of the lower portion of the face lessens because of normal teeth wear or removal and slight absorption of the mandibles. The effect of age on the upper portion of the face is evidenced by the appearance of crows-feet wrinkles at the outer corners of the eyes, and it is also shown by the lowering or relaxation of the eyebrow position.

To the present, various techniques have been employed to eliminate or camouflage facial senescence. Temporary relief is secured by the facial which is a massage that causes temporary swelling of the subcuticular tissue, resulting in a slight tenseness of the face skin with perhaps some lessening of facial crepiness. The facial is effective for only a few hours.

Others employ the common practice of applying make-up to substitute a high-light for shadow to camouflage or conceal the various evidences of age.

Another technique for minimizing facial senescence makes use of surgical treatment, which is commonly known as a face-lift. This consists of the actual excising of excess skin from within a area where the incision might be concealed. In the face-lift, excess skin is removed while the remainder is drawn taut over the face. This method for'counteracting the appearance of age is practiced by very few because of its expense, its inflexible nature, and because it is fraught with dangers incident to surgical operations. Face-lifts are effective only for certain periods, ranging from several months to years, depending upon the elasticity of the skin and the extent of excising.

It is an object of this invention to provide a method for securing the effects of a face lift without surgery.

Another object is to provide a method for obliterating or effectively minimizing facial senescence.

A further object is to provide a method for 3 Claims. (Cl. 128-76) retracting from the face skin which otherwise might form folds, bags, or wrinkles.

A still further object is to provide a method employing elements which may be substantially concealed from view for drawing skin taut over predetermined areas of the face to minimize facial senescence.

A still further object is to provide a new and improved method for temporarily but effectively withdrawing loose skin from the face in a painless manner without the assistance of others and by means which may be fully concealed from normal observation.

These and other objects and advantages of this invention will hereinafter appear, and for purposes of illustration, but not of limitation, an embodiment is shown in the accompanying draw ing in which,

Figure 1 is a pictorial view illustrating the features of my invention;

Figure 2 is a detail of a device used in the practice of my invention; and

Figure 3 is a sectional elevational view illustrating a modified manner in which my invention may be practiced.

In carrying out my invention, excess skin is withdrawn from the face and anchored within the hairy region where it may be concealed from view. The effect is to draw the skin taut over the face to erase noticeable wrinkles, bags, and folds, corresponding in effect to that secured by a face-lift. My invention, in reality, is preferred over a face-lift because considerable flexibility is permitted in the direction and amount of Withdrawal of skin excesses to meet the changing conditions incident with the passage of time and to give various specific effects which are not possible in the static conditions resulting from surgical operation.

Briefly described, my invention embodies the concept of tensioning one or more points beyond the hairline in a direction away from the face to withdraw excess skin from the face, thereby to tension the face skin. The tensioned positions are maintained by anchoring the devices by which tension is effected, the devices having the simultaneous characteristics of function and conceal ment. By the use of several devices similarly placed beyond the hairline and in various positions to pull the skin in predetermined directions, facial characteristics cannot only be improved but they will be changed in a predetermined manner to give the desired effect. Ordinarily, the devices are arranged to draw the face skin posteriorly and anteriorly. For example, in the ear region, the pull-should lee-obliquely backward and upward, and near the eyebrow area, the pull should be upward to secure the greatest rejuvenating effect.

To embody the characteristics of function and concealment, I prefer to make use of a device which, for all practical purposes, has the appearance of an instrument used in normal coiifure, such, for example, as to simulate a hairpin, bobby-pin, or the like. In specific illustration, a preferred device, described and claimed in my copending application Ser. No. 64,817, filed on December 11, 1948, now Patent No. 2,575,204, issued November 13, 1951, and illustrated in Figure 2, may comprise a pair of anchor members and I! each being formed of the loop end or body portion 12 of a hairpin having the free ends turned downward and back to form spaced-apart hooks I 3 and I 4 having spurs or spicules 15 formed in the ends. The loop ends or bails 16 are connected by a resilient or stretchable member, such as a rubber band I? or the like. Instead of a hairpin, use may be made of other structures having walls of sufficiently small dimension to remain substantially concealed or else to appear as an ordinary hairpin or the like when in posi tion'of use. The ends of the hook portions 13 and Hi should be spaced apart from the body portion 12 by an amount which enables tufts of hair to be disposed'therebetween without interfering with the ability-of the spicules to grip the skin.

The spurs or spicules I5 are formed surgically sharp and dimensioned to permit penetration into the skin to a distance less than that capable of piercing the entire skin layer led which in the top of the head is usually thicker than in other parts of the body. The length of the spicules which I employ normally measures in the order of 0.015 inch to 0.035 inch, but I prefer to hold the length of the spicules to less than 0.025 inch, and to prevent penetration beyond the surface skin which is normally incapable of feel, a shoulder or stop 18 may be formed at the base of the spicule l 5.

When it is desired to withdraw skin from a certain area of the face, indicated by the numeral I9, anchor I0 is hooked into the skin just beyond the hairline, indicated by the numeral 20. The partner hook II is moved in the direction away from the face until sumcient tension forces are developed to withdraw desired amounts of skin from the face, and while this tension is maintained, the partner hook II is anchored by pressing to grip the scalp. In this position, the rubber-like connector H operates constantly to maintain the calculated tension until one or the other of the anchor members IE1 or II is released. Functionally, the anchor hooked just beyond the hairline is constantly urged to move in the direction of the partner anchor because the first anchor member is associated with comparatively loose skin when compared with the scalp skin. Thus, the anchors actually pull the skin to a proper position on the face effectively to eliminate wrinkles, bags, and folds.

As previously pointed out, one device may be sufficient in some instances, but, ordinarily, several are used to gain the desired results. These may be arranged in side by side spaced relation to operate on a certain area or they may be distributed along the temple or general forehead line in parallel relation or in angular relation, as shown in Figure 1, to draw the skin from several points about the face. By the use of several tensioning devices, the stress developed may be divided and the direction and extent of pull may be varied to meet existing conditions.

Although the extent of penetration of the spicule is designed for painless anchorage, it is conceivable that some persons may avoid practice of my invention because of a psychological effect. To adapt this invention to meet this attitude, my method may include the preparation of the skin by the application of a tough, flexible coating to that portion of the skin to be engaged by the spicules. The applied layer, indicated by the numeral 2|, receives all or the greater portion 7 of the spicule, and because of its strong adherence solution.

to the skin, transmits the tension operating to effect the desired amount of skin withdrawal. The tough flexible layer 2l'may be formed by the application of a fluid composition containing an adherent film-forming resinous material in Illustrative of the resinous materials thatmay be employed are the vinyl polymers and copolymers including vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymers and polyvinyl butyrals. Also included may be polyacrylates, cellulose ethers and esters including nitrocellulose, collodion, and the like. When the resinous substance to be ap plied is relatively inflexible, plasticizers or other suitable modifiers well known in the plastics, adhesives, and coating art may be added.

In specific application, collodion with an additive of the type polyvinyl butyral and thinned with castor oil and isopropyl alcohol is disposed in a relatively thin layer on the skin in the'area where the spicules are to be impressed. The solution rapidly dries to an adherent tough layer which can be readily pierced by the spicules; By the use of a protective coating, the retractors may be allowed to remain in position for an extended period; otherwise, it is undesirable to wear the retractors more than several hours at a time. In the event that concealment of the devices is not complete, notwithstanding the fact that they are made to appear as instruments of normal coiffure, they may be positively concealed by subsequently fixing the hair in a manner to cover all or a greater portion of the devices. 7

It will be evident from the description that my new method for overcoming facial senescence does not embody surgical treatment but gives all of the advantages and more of the surgical face lift without being subject to its obf jections. N 0 pain or discomfort is experienced in the employment of my method. Yet, such flexibility in application is available as will eliminate the necessity of the periodic expense and incdn-j veniences incident with the surgical face-lift. For all practical purposes, my method for eradicating the appearances of age may be practiced without harm because for the greaterm-ajority of time, the skin on or about the face is in its normal condition and it is only for relatively short periods that it is drawn taut over the face.

It will be apparent that my invention maybe practiced without being obvious because the elements by which the skin is tensioned away from the face are either fully concealed beyond the hairline or else have the appearance of a hairpin or bobby pin or other instrument which is normally used in hair preparations.

It will be understood that numerous changes may be made in the devices and in the specific manner of practicing my invention without departing from the spirit of my invention, especially as recited in the following claims." 7

I claim as myinvention:

' 1. The method of minimizing facial senescence.

with retractors formed of pairs of body members connected together with an elastic member and having spurs extending therefrom comprising the steps of coating the scalp skin at selected positions just above the hair line with resinous coating which dries into a tough layer which adheres to the skin and is not displaced by perspiration, inserting the spurs of one body member into a dried layer, moving the other of the pair of body members in the direction toward the top of the head until the desired tension is established between the members, applying the coating material to form another adherent layer on the scalp skin in the region of the second tensioning member, and then inserting the spurs of the second tensioning member into the adjacent dried layer.

2. The method of minimizing facial senescence with retractors formed of a pair of anchoring members connected with an elastic member and having anchoring spurs extending therefrom comprising coating portions of the scalp with a film forming composition in sufficient amount to provide a strongly adherent film of a thickness greater than that of the effective length of the spurs, application being made to a portion adjacent' the hair line and a portion spaced therefrom in the direction off of the face by a distance greater than the normal distance between spurs on the connected anchoring members, allowing the coating composition to dry to form the continuous adherent film, inserting the spurs of one anchoring member in one film and the spurs of the other anchoring member in the other film whereby a tension exists between anchoring members which retracts loose skin from off the face.

3. The method of minimizing facial senescence with retractors each of which is formed of a pair of anchoring members connected by an elastic member and having spurs dimensioned to be less than 0.025 inch extending therefrom comprising the steps of coating portions of the scalp with a film forming composition in an amount sufiicient to provide a dried film which adheres strongly to the scalp of a thickness greater than 0.025 inch, one application being made adjacent the hair line and another spaced therefrom in the direction away from the face by a distance greater than the normal distance between spurs on the connected anchoring members, allowing the film forming composition to dry, inserting the spurs of one anchoring member in one film and the spurs of the other anchoring member in the other film whereby the elastic member becomes effective to tension the anchoring members in the direction toward each other and draw loose skin from off the face.

ADOLPH M. BROWN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 5,163 Great Britain 1900 Great Britain June 12, 1924 

